This is the harvest time for all the fruits, a time of maturity. One of the old stories is of Persephone who was "stolen" by the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto (whose name also means 'rich one') who was holder of the Cornucopia or horn of plenty. When Demeter went to get her daughter back Zeus decreed that she should stay in Hades, with his brother, for the same number of months as she had eaten pomegranate seeds. So, a the Autumn Equinox Persephone would go down again into Hades to be Queen of the Underworld for two thirds of the year which takes to Imbolc again, which is the dawn of Spring although not spring itself. Why include a Greek story? The Keltoi came from and through Greece and many tales tell of their relationship, particularly that of Orpheus who was supposed to have helped with the building of Stonehenge. The Hyperboreans were said to have come from the Island of the Mighty too, which is another name for Britain. Autumn is also the time when the king is called to his death at the end of his term. His body would then be ploughed into the earth to fertilise the land for the spring sowing so this is a continuation of the John Barleycorn tale of Lughnasadh. |
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